History: William George Morrow, 1917-1980, was born in Edmonton, Alberta. He studied law at the University of Alberta and was admitted to the Alberta Bar in 1940. In 1947 he married Genevieve Henry and they had four children, William Henry, Pauline May, Lee Walker and John Martin. He was called to the Bars of the NWT in 1959, British Columbia in 1961 and the Yukon in 1964. He served as Justice of the Supreme Court of the NWT, 1966-1976, succeeding the first NWT judge, John Sissons, 1891-1969. He then became a Justice of the Alberta Supreme Court. William Morrow was regarded as a champion of native rights. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Calgary in 1975.

Scope and Content: The fonds consists of proceedings of native land claims heard by NWT Supreme Court, which includes material related to the Athapascan, Treaty 8, Treaty 11, and the Indian Brotherhood of the Northwest Territories (1973-1975); Morrow's certificates and newsclippings (1966-1980); photographs of Justice Morrow, judicial personalities and proceedings in the NWT (1960s-1970s); and miscellaneous photographs related to his career (1939-1944). Includes Justice Sissons' notebooks about NWT court cases (1957-1962).

Source of Acquisition: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William G. Morrow and Justice N.D. McDermid, 1975-1983.